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Gerard Butler is the one major cast member who appears in both versions of How to Train Your Dragon. He voices Stoick the Vast in DreamWorks’ 2010 animated film and returns to play Stoick in the 2025 live-action reimagining. Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, and Peter Serafinowicz make up the new live-action lineup.
Directed and written by Dean DeBlois—who also directed the animated trilogy—the 2025 film reworks the original story with live-action performers, physical sets, and digitally created dragons. The comparison below matches performers playing equivalent characters; it does not suggest that the live-action actors were chosen to look identical to the animated designs.
How to Train Your Dragon cast comparison
The table matches the principal human characters in the 2025 live-action film with the voice performers associated with the animated franchise. The animated column primarily refers to the 2010 film, with a specific qualification for Tuffnut.
| Character | 2025 live-action cast | Animated-franchise voice cast |
|---|---|---|
| Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III | Mason Thames | Jay Baruchel |
| Astrid Hofferson | Nico Parker | America Ferrera |
| Stoick the Vast | Gerard Butler | Gerard Butler |
| Gobber the Belch | Nick Frost | Craig Ferguson |
| Snotlout Jorgenson | Gabriel Howell | Jonah Hill |
| Fishlegs Ingerman | Julian Dennison | Christopher Mintz-Plasse |
| Ruffnut Thorston | Bronwyn James | Kristen Wiig |
| Tuffnut Thorston | Harry Trevaldwyn | Justin Rupple in later animated-franchise listings |
| Spitelout Jorgenson | Peter Serafinowicz | No directly matching principal voice credit established in the cited 2010 cast listing |
The 2025 cast is identified in Netflix Tudum’s cast coverage and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s official release materials. The original film’s principal voice cast is listed on DreamWorks’ official movie page.
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Gerard Butler is the direct link between the films
Butler’s return as Stoick is the clearest piece of continuity between the two productions. In the animated film, his voice helped define Hiccup’s imposing but emotionally complicated father, the chief of Berk. In the live-action version, Butler performs the role on screen rather than only supplying a voice.
That makes the 2025 film unusual among modern live-action reimaginings: its director is returning from the animated source, and one of the original film’s most recognizable performers is returning as the same character. Universal specifically describes Butler as reprising his animated role.
Hiccup and Astrid have new live-action performers
Mason Thames as Hiccup
Mason Thames takes over the role of Hiccup from Jay Baruchel, who voiced the character throughout the animated trilogy. Hiccup remains the story’s human center: a young Viking who does not fit Berk’s dragon-fighting culture and whose relationship with Toothless changes the way both humans and dragons are understood.
The casting is a performance transition, not a claim of visual duplication. Thames is playing the live-action interpretation of Hiccup, while Baruchel remains the voice performer associated with the animated version.
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Nico Parker as Astrid
Nico Parker plays Astrid Hofferson, the capable Viking warrior originally voiced by America Ferrera. Astrid is part of the film’s central human relationship and becomes closely tied to Hiccup’s changing view of dragons.
Like Hiccup, Astrid has been fully recast for live action. Ferrera’s animated performance and Parker’s on-screen performance belong to different productions, even though they portray equivalent versions of the same character.
The new Viking crew
The rest of the young Viking group is also newly cast for the 2025 film:
- Nick Frost plays Gobber the Belch, the blacksmith and mentor figure voiced by Craig Ferguson in the animated film.
- Gabriel Howell plays Snotlout Jorgenson, replacing Jonah Hill’s animated voice performance.
- Julian Dennison plays Fishlegs Ingerman, the character voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse in the animated films.
- Bronwyn James plays Ruffnut Thorston, originally voiced by Kristen Wiig.
- Harry Trevaldwyn plays Tuffnut Thorston.
The Tuffnut comparison requires a little care. The principal cast listing for the original 2010 film does not list a Tuffnut voice performer, while later official DreamWorks franchise material identifies Justin Rupple with the character. That is why Rupple, rather than a 2010 principal-cast credit, appears in the table.
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Peter Serafinowicz expands the live-action supporting cast
Peter Serafinowicz plays Spitelout Jorgenson in the live-action film. The cited official 2010 DreamWorks cast page does not establish a directly corresponding principal voice credit for Spitelout, so this should not be presented as a simple actor-for-actor replacement.
The safer description is that Spitelout is part of the live-action supporting lineup, while the available 2010 principal-cast source does not provide a confirmed equivalent animated credit. This distinction matters because character credits can vary among the feature films, television spin-offs, and later franchise listings.
What about Toothless and the other dragons?
Toothless is not represented by a human cast member in the side-by-side table. The dragons in the 2025 production are digital visual effects creations rather than on-screen actors playing costumes or conventional human roles. Universal’s home-entertainment materials discuss the making of the dragons and visual-effects work in the bonus content, but the cited sources do not name one individual as Toothless’s human “actor.”
Accordingly, it would be misleading to list a celebrity opposite Toothless in the same way as Hiccup, Astrid, or Stoick. The important performance comparison is between the human cast members and the animated voice cast; the dragons belong to the film’s visual-effects and creature-design process.
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How closely does the live-action film follow the animated original?
Universal describes the 2025 production as a reimagining of the animated film. Its basic dramatic setup remains recognizable: Hiccup forms an unlikely bond with Toothless, while Astrid and the other residents of Berk are drawn into the conflict between Vikings and dragons.
The creative connection is stronger than a typical remake because Dean DeBlois returned as writer-director after directing the animated trilogy. The live-action version is nevertheless not using the exact animated cast. With the exception of Butler’s Stoick, the principal human roles have new performers.
The franchise is also based on Cressida Cowell’s book series, which Netflix identifies as a 12-book series published from 2004 through 2015. The films are adaptations of that broader source material rather than a literal casting or visual recreation of Cowell’s illustrations.
Want to compare both versions at home?
For a side-by-side rewatch, look for the 2025 live-action 4K edition and the original animated film on Blu-ray. Universal’s U.S. home-entertainment materials list digital purchase or rental availability for the live-action film from July 15, 2025, followed by 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD editions dated August 12, 2025. The physical releases include more than 75 minutes of bonus material, including making-of features, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and content about the visual effects and dragon creation. Regional editions and current retailer availability may differ.
The official making-of book
Readers who want more than a cast list may also be interested in The Art and Making of How to Train Your Dragon, the official live-action companion from Insight Editions. The publisher describes it as a 208-page hardcover containing concept art, set photography, CGI renders, and interviews with Dean DeBlois, Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, and other creators.
It is particularly relevant to this cast comparison because it connects the performers to the production process rather than simply presenting character portraits. Check the retailer or publisher for current price, stock, and regional availability before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gerard Butler in both the animated and live-action versions of How to Train Your Dragon?
Yes. Gerard Butler voices Stoick the Vast in the 2010 animated film and returns as Stoick in the 2025 live-action reimagining.
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Who plays Hiccup in the 2025 live-action film?
Mason Thames plays Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Jay Baruchel voiced Hiccup in the animated franchise.
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Nico Parker plays Astrid Hofferson. America Ferrera voiced Astrid in the animated films.
Who voices Toothless in the live-action film?
The available official materials do not identify a single human Toothless performer. Toothless and the other dragons are digital visual-effects creations, so Toothless should not be treated as an ordinary human cast role.
Is the 2025 film a shot-for-shot remake of the animated original?
No. Universal describes it as a live-action reimagining. It retains the central premise and characters, but it has a new principal cast apart from Gerard Butler’s return and was made as a separate live-action production.
The Bottom Line
The simplest way to remember the lineup is: Gerard Butler returns as Stoick, while Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and the rest of the principal human cast replace the animated performers. Dean DeBlois’s return provides the strongest creative continuity, but the 2025 film remains a new live-action interpretation—not the animated cast transferred unchanged to the screen.
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